The Top Three Players UCF Can't Let Hit The Transfer Portal
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With the end of the UCF Knights' 2025 season, their players who are not out of eligibility have a month to officially mull their options on their college football future.
Here are three players that the Knights would hope that their decision is to stay in Orlando:
1. Dylan Wade, Tight End
HIST0RY
— UCF Football (@UCF_Football) December 2, 2025
DWade showed out in ‘25 😤 pic.twitter.com/NSgjep2cQQ
UCF has not seen a tight end like Dylan Wade at least since its move up to the FBS in 1996, setting program records for tight ends in receptions, yards and touchdowns this season.
Wade was even less than 10 yards shy of being the Knights' leading receiver, only falling short of wide receiver Duane Thomas Jr. by five yards. However, while Thomas Jr. did not find the end zone this season, Wade did five times, accounting for 41.6% of UCF's receiving touchdowns this season.
After spending this past offseason having to rebuild UCF's receiving group from close to scratch, losing Wade and having to potentially go through that process yet again would not be conducive to the Knights making progress in Year 2 of Frost's return.
2. Lewis Carter, Linebacker
Despite missing a game this season, UCF linebacker Lewis Carter finished this season as the Knights' leading tackler.
The Oklahoma transfer said he felt like he did "pretty good" in his first collegiate season as a starting player, coming up with 92 tackles, 52 of which were solo, four tackles for loss, two sacks, two forced fumbles and a pass breakup.
Carter led the way for a defense that finished 25th in the nation in passing yards allowed, 38th in total defense and 48th in team passing efficiency defense.
"We don't stop," Carter said. "We got a good amount of young guys coming back that's gonna be ready to play and got some experience under their belt."
3. Waden Charles, Wide Reciever
The Knights' standout freshman of the 2025 campaign, Charles ended up finishing third on the team in recieving behind Thomas Jr. and Wade with 290 yards, with about 60% of those yards coming in the last four games.
Charles' heavy usage later in the season would indicate the Knights are looking to build around him from a wide reciever standpoint. So, the Boynton Beach native using his extended playing time as a freshman to market himself to other schools in the transfer portal would not do well for UCF's plans at with the passing game (see Dylan Wade).
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The transfer portal window is set to officially open on Jan. 2 and remain so until Jan. 16.
Catch up on more UCF news below:
UCF Quarterback Reflects On The End Of The 2025 Season
UCF Running Back Says Goodbye To College Football
UCF Hoops Sits In Bottom Half Of Big 12 In NCAA Selection Ranking
Bryson Turner is a sports journalist who covers UCF Athletics. Turner has contributed to the Black and Gold Banneret, the home for UCF Athletics on SB Nation. He has called the Orlando area home since the age of 8 and received his bachelor's and master's degrees from UCF.
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